“Wasted Lives” and the Hero Grown Old: Personal Perspectives of Spirituality by Aging Men

ABSTRACT As part of a broad study concerning the lifestyles and generativity of older men, respondents were questioned about spiritual issues, operationalized as a belief in God and an afterlife. In a sample of 150 men, marked attitudinal trends emerged. In the first trend, consideration of spiritual issues was deemed unimportant and interfered with the business of “living life.” In the second trend, determination to achieve a desired but unrealized goal constituted the major focus of life and did not allow time for consideration of spiritual issues. In the third trend, current contenment also negated the need for thought regarding spiritual issues. One of the goals of this study was to determine, through self-reporting, what personal spirituality actually meant to the men interviewed.